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(Don’t Tell Them It’s Vegan) Mushroom Cashew Pâté

from Ivy Manning’s “Crackers and Dips,” copyright 2013. Recipe reprinted with permission from Chronicle Books. “It looks like chicken liver pâté,” says Manning. “The flavors are so umami and rich people really don’t believe it doesn’t have meat in it. Mushroom and cashew makes it really rich.”
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Ingredients
  

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 small onion finely chopped
  • 1 medium carrot peeled and finely chopped
  • 2 medium garlic cloves finely chopped
  • 3 medium portobello mushrooms stems and black underside gills discarded, coarsely chopped
  • 4 ounces shiitake mushrooms stems discarded, caps chopped
  • Kosher salt
  • 1/3 cup dry white vermouth or dry white wine
  • 1/2 cup toasted cashews
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
  • 1-1/2 teaspoon finely grated organic lemon zest
  • 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves chopped
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce
  • 1/2 to 1 teaspoon white truffle oil optional
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
 

  • In a large sauté pan, heat the oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the onion and carrot and sauté until softened, 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the mushrooms and a generous pinch of salt and sauté until the mushrooms have softened and have given off their liquid, 4 minutes. Add the vermouth and sauté, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan, until the liquid has nearly evaporated, 1 minute.
  • Transfer the mushroom mixture to a food processor. Add the cashews, parsley, lemon zest, thyme, and soy sauce. Process until smooth, scraping down the sides of the work bowl once or twice. Transfer the pâté to a microwave-safe bowl and allow the mixture to stand 1 hour to meld flavors. Reheat in the microwave until warm and add more salt, 1/2 teaspoon of the truffle oil, and the black pepper. Taste and add more truffle oil if desired. The pâté can be made up to 3 days in advance and kept in the refrigerator in an airtight container until ready to use. Microwave until warm before serving.